Rushville, IL

Now Showing in Rushville, Ill.

Under the new neon marquee, the once shuttered Princess Theater in downtown Rushville, Ill., (pop. 3,212) is alive with activity each weekend, thanks to the efforts of townspeople who came to the theater’s rescue six years ago.

On Sunday nights, 17-year-old Nikki Newenham takes tickets from the stream of people entering the red and gold lobby of the refurbished 1916 theater. Her 11-year-old sister, Samantha, rips the tickets as patrons go about selecting—and settling into—one of the theater’s 272 seats. In the concession stand, Nikki’s mother, Connie, pops and bags popcorn while her dad, Mike, sells soda and candy.

The Newenhams are among 65 volunteers who take turns manning the theater for a single show each Friday, Saturday, and Sunday evening. As a reward, volunteers get to watch the family-oriented movies and receive free soda and popcorn. The theater’s manager and the two projectionists are the only paid employees.

Volunteering gives those who do it a sense of helping their community. “It gives a lot of the younger kids something to do on the weekend,” says Nikki Newenham, “and we don’t have to drive a half hour or hour away to see a movie.”

The 100 to 150 people who turn out for the nightly shows didn’t have that option back in 1993, when economic realities forced the theater to close its doors after 77 years in the west-central Illinois town.

“There was a big hole there because a lot of people my age and older had memories of going there,” says John Tribbey, 49, the theater’s volunteer bookkeeper.

Young people were upset with the closing too, and many of them wrote Letters to the Editor of the Rushville Times to say so. Public concern prompted members of the Schuyler County Economic Development Corp. to hold a community meeting on the subject.

“We had such a response that we all kind of worked together,” says Marie Wallace, manager of both the Princess Theater and the town’s Main Street program—an effort by the National Trust for Historic Preservation to help communities revitalize their downtown areas.

Soon a for-profit corporation was formed to buy the old theater. The corporation sold $100 shares to 147 local residents, ultimately raising about $53,000, enough to buy the building and new equipment. Then building contractors, electricians, and other residents volunteered their time to renovate the theater.

Since the Princess reopened in 1995, it has shown second-run, mostly G- and PG-rated films, such as Atlantis and 101 Dalmations. Admission fees ($4 for adults and $3 for children 10 and under) and concession sales have allowed the theater to turn a small profit each year—but investors, rather than take a dividend, reinvest the money in repairs and improvements.

Ten-year-old Chase Worthington is a good example of the dedication of local volunteers. Worthington has helped out ever since the theater reopened, often staying after the show to pick up trash and clean up “so it won’t be sticky like other theaters.” He likes the fact that he can walk to the theater by himself or with friends to see a show.

The Princess Theater isn’t the first time Rushville residents have come together to support a community project. Townspeople funded renovation of the 1882 Phoenix Opera House, home to a local acting troupe, in the mid-1980s and a second renovation in 1997 after the newly refurbished place was damaged by fire.

Rushville also has managed to keep most of its downtown storefronts full, and each September the town celebrates during its annual Smiles Day. The event was first held Sept. 17, 1919, to welcome home the community’s military men and women after World War I.

“There’s a lot of loyalty,” says Ted Bartlett, a Rushville native and retired president of Rushville State Bank. “The people of this community are not afraid to make an effort. I think it all comes down to the people.”

Margaret Schroeder is a freelance writer in Springfield, Ill.

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